Binay urges Israel to buy more products from Philippines

Vice President Jejomar Binay. FILE PHOTO

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday encouraged the Israeli government and business community to expand trade with the Philippines, citing potentials for wider agricultural exchanges, including fresh produce and technical know-how.

Kicking off his six-day visit in Israel on Oct. 23, Binay met with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem and encouraged officials to “explore new trade and investment opportunities in the Philippines,” his office said Wednesday.

“The Philippine-Israel bilateral trade represents a very small percentage of the overall Israel-Asia two-way trade. I hope that our strengthening bilateral relations translate to more investments between our countries,” Binay said in his meeting with Peres.

He specifically made a pitch for the country’s pineapples and coconuts, prodding the Israel side to import more of the produce.

“I hope that more Philippine fresh produce such as pineapples and coconuts would find their way into the mainstream Israeli retail market. The embassy has initiated the mechanism for the approval of pineapple importation to Israel in coordination with the Israel Ministry of Agriculture,” he added.

He also called for wider exchanges in agricultural technologies between the Philippines and Israel, with the latter having one of the world’s most advanced agricultural systems.

Israel has also been hosting Filipino agricultural scholars into its international agrostudies program.  This year, Filipinos reaped excellence awards and outnumbered students from other Asian countries in the program, which brought trainees around agricultural facilities and colleges around Israel.

“I am happy to note that Filipino agricultural workers are being exposed to Israeli agricultural technology that is considered among the best in the world,” Binay said.

Binay will also visit landmarks that honor victims of the Holocaust and later meet with the Filipino community in Tel Aviv.

Binay’s Israel trip follows his swing through the Vatican, where he witnessed the canonization of Saint Pedro Calungsod, and Brussels, Belgium, where he took part in the 2012 European Development Days, the region’s foremost international development forum.